Her signature jewel-tone fabrics and feel for luxury have transformed the bedroom into the center of the home

ANN GISH: I call it practical-fancy. It's elegant, but you can take care of it. I'm hard on things personally—I'm hard on shoes, on jewelry, on clothes—so I want things that I can use.

ED: How has your style evolved?

AG: I'm getting more graphic as I get older. I've also recently been able to make more casual things, and more designs with a sense of humor. Now that I have a bit of a brand, I can get away with doing more and have it be accepted.

ED: You've lived in California, France, London, and Barbados. Is there one culture that has especially influenced your work?

AG: France probably had the most influence on me. The style there is just beautiful. Everything has depth, and the colors are in between colors. It's that shift from one color to another that I find interesting.

ED: What inspires you aesthetically?

AG: I love paintings—Picasso, Braque, Léger, that whole 1930s and '40s period. My husband loves Impressionism, but for me, it's so pastel. I like intensity. I like power.

ED: How would you define luxury?

AG: Luxury is totally personal and individual. You can't homogenize it: What's luxury to me is not necessarily luxury to you. For me, having my kitchen cleaned every day would be a luxury. For somebody else, it would be going into their bedroom and seeing a shimmering, beautiful bed. Time—that would be my personal luxury, so I could just go wandering. The English call it "slobbing."

ED: How do you see home decor changing?

AG: People are becoming more practical. We haven't had 90 pillows on the bed for a long time. Life is complicated right now, and people want to have things around them that are simple.

ED: What role does the bedroom play in people's lives today?

AG: I think it's a family place—a lot more happens in the bedroom than sex and sleeping.

ED: What makes a great bedroom?

AG: The bedroom should be a place that makes you feel good, and that you look good in too. I also think it should be a place that is tranquil. In fact, your whole house should probably feel tranquil, if you can manage it—or, certainly, safe.

ED: What would you tell young women starting their careers?

AG: Your fantasy can be your goal. When I was growing up, nobody told us that.

ED: What is the achievement you're most proud of?

AG: The fact that all my employees are supported. People have jobs, and we make a good product. I'm really proud of what I've built, and I'm proud of how everybody in the company is treated.

ED: Any new projects on the horizon?

AG: I'm opening a store in New York City at the end of this year or the beginning of 2011. There will be tons of beds, giant anglepoise lamps, and tables that I like—hopefully nothing you're going to see anywhere else. And we do clothing now, so that will be there too. And everything will have a price tag on it, so you won't have to ask!

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